Mulhuddart Men’s Shed had an eminent visitor on Thursday February 15, as Taoiseach Leo Varadkar TD dropped in for a visit. The shed is located in the Taoiseach’s constituency of Dublin West, and the shed members made their visitor feel instantly welcome within the cosy workshop.

The Taoiseach was deeply impressed by the handiwork on display within the workshop and throughout the shed, and stayed chatting to the shed members and representatives from the IMSA board for fully thirty minutes. At the close of the visit, Hans Meyer presented the Taoiseach with a handsome pen carved by the shed members.

The IMSA would like to thank the Taoiseach and his office for being so generous with their time and hopes to welcome the Taoiseach to another shed in the near future!

The International Charity Bazaar is an initiative of the international diplomatic corps in Ireland. Each year, the ambassadors and their spouses organised two charity events and distribute the proceeds among deserving Irish charities.

This year, the IMSA was honoured to be among the charities awarded grants at the presentation ceremony at the Mansion House. Lord Mayor Micheal mac Donncha presided over proceedings, with papal nuncio Archbishop Jude Thaddeus Okolo (President of the ICB) and outgoing ICB chairperson Suzanne Gachukia-Opembe also involved.

The grant will go towards the training of IMSA Shed Support Volunteers. The other charities recognised on the night were Children in Hospital, Inner City Helping Homeless, Dogs for Disabled, Village Counselling Service, Blanchardstown Center for Independent Living, Longford Women’s Link, the Irish Hospice Foundation, Temple Street Foundation,and Alzheimer Society of Ireland – Wicklow.

2018 – A MESSAGE FROM CEO BARRY SHERIDAN

Hi all,

2017 was a momentous year in the history of men’s sheds in Ireland. From launching our Sheds for Life initiative, to welcoming our 400th shed, to developing our National Volunteer Programme, the pace was breathless and the rewards for our sheds and our members clear to see.

We very much look forward to building on those gains in 2018, together with all our funders and partners, without whom this remarkable movement of men and communities could not function. Remember that, if you feel anyone in your life could benefit from the friendship, camaraderie and purpose offered by a men’s shed, you can point them in the right direction by visiting our shed directory at http://www.menssheds.ie/shed-directory

A VERY HAPPY CHRISTMAS FROM THE IRISH MEN’S SHEDS ASSOCIATION

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association would like to wish all men’s sheds members, partner organisations, friends and supporters a very happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year. It’s been an exceptionally fruitful and rewarding year for men’s sheds in Ireland, and we’re truly grateful to all those who made 2017 so memorable for the men’s sheds movement. We look forward to working with you all again in 2018. Head office will be closed to calls from December 23rd – January 2nd. Merry Christmas to all!

Today – Thursday November 2nd – sees the 32-page Farmers Journal Men’s Sheds supplement hit the shelves. Produced in partnership with Permanent TSB and featuring stories and pictures from dozens of sheds throughout the country, the supplement will make a magnificent keepsake for years to come. Get it in all good newsagents today!

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association is incredibly proud, honoured and excited to have been chosen to receive Flagship Grant support from The Ireland Funds. Since 1976, the Ireland Funds has been supporting Irish communities, charities and causes in every way conceivable. Over that period, it has raised more than $550m and contributed incalculably to the causes of peace, education, culture and community on the island of Ireland and beyond. We’d also like to offer our congratulations to our fellow Flagship Grantees, the Irish Film Institute (IFI), Speedpak Group – Trading, Training, Transforming, Integrated Education Fund and Blossom Ireland and to all 11 finalists.

AUSTRALIA’S GOVERNOR-GENERAL VISITS BALBRIGGAN MEN’S SHED

On Saturday, September 23rd, the Irish Men’s Sheds Association was honoured by the visit of His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove to Balbriggan Men’s Shed. The visit, part of the Governor-General’s four-day itinerary in Ireland, emphasises once again the strong and vibrant links between men’s sheds in Ireland and Australia. The Governor-General, his wife Lady Cosgrove, and Ambassador Richard Andrews were received by the men of Balbriggan Men’s Shed, as well as Barry Sheridan (CEO Irish Men’s Sheds Association), George Kelly (IMSA Chairman) and Eva Beirne (IMSA National Volunteer Coordinator). READ MORE HERE: http://menssheds.ie/2017/09/25/australian-governor-general-visits-balbriggan-mens-shed/

IMSA AGM 2017 HELD IN BALLYMUN

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association’s Annual General Meeting for 2017 was held in Ballymun Civic Centre on September 15th. The AGM also saw IMSA Chairman George Kelly and Dr. Bill Lockhart stepping down from the board after years of sterling service, as well as the launch of IMSA’s 2017-2020 Strategic Plan. Read more here:

NEW BLOG FEATURE ON MALEHEALTH.IE

Since its launch in July, our men’s health website www.malehealth.ie has proven to be a winner, with thousands of visits already. We’ve just launch an exciting new feature on the website. Over the coming months, we’ll be featuring guest blogs from our partner organisations on the Resources page of the website. The latest blog is from the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland, on health challenges and health choices for Irish men. Read it HERE and keep visiting and sharing www.malehealth.ie.

With over 400 men’s sheds in Ireland – at least three in each county, north and south – the country enjoys the greatest concentration of men’s sheds anywhere in the world. Men’s sheds help men of all backgrounds lead happier, healthier and more productive lives. If you, or someone you care about, would like to look into joining or forming a men’s shed, please see our shed directory to find the shed closest to you, or call head office on (01) 891 6150: CLICK HERE FOR SHED DIRECTORY

NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES SECTION LAUNCHED ON MENSSHEDS.IEThe Irish Men’s Sheds Association has launched a new Funding Opportunities page on its core website, www.menssheds.ie. The page is broken down into two main section – one for the Republic of Ireland and one for Northern Ireland – with further regional sub-sections. The page will be continually updated as we learn about further funding opportunities. If you have a lead on a philanthropic, local authority or government grant that men’s sheds could be eligible for, please email communications@menssheds.ie.

IMSA LAUNCHES WWW.MALEHEALTH.IEJuly 20th was a proud day for men’s sheds in Ireland, as the Irish Men’s Sheds Association launched its new men’s health website, www.malehealth.ie. The new website offers information, resources and advice from over 40 Irish health organisations. Based on a template established by the Australian Men’s Sheds Association, the website’s menu is intuitive and easy to navigate, being based on a graphic of the male anatomy. Users select their age-range, click on the part of the body they want to find out more about, and are then presented with a menu of health topics (including conditions, ailments and lifestyle issues). They can then select from the menu to be taken directly to the website of the country’s leading authorities on that topic.READ MORE HERE.

Please keep visiting www.malehealth.ie and watch this website and our social media channels (@IrishSheds on Twitter, Irish Men’s Sheds Association on Facebook) for more information, and remember to tell your friends, families and fellow shedders to visit the site!

MINISTER CORCORAN KENNEDY LAUNCHES “SHEDS FOR LIFE”

Monday May 29th was a landmark day for men’s sheds in Ireand, as our flagship health and wellbeing initiative “Sheds for Life” was launched by Minister Marcella Corcoran Kennedy TD, Minister of State for Health Promotion, at Belmont Men’s Shed in Co. Offaly. Sheds for Life is being developed in partnership with HSE Ireland and a range of other partners, including Irish Heart Foundation, See Change, Get Ireland Walking, Haven Pharmacy, Diabetes Ireland and Siel Bleu Ireland. For a full list of partners, see http://menssheds.ie/sflpartners/.

At the launch, the Minister, who grew up locally, expressed her support and enthusiasm for the initiative. The launch was also attended by Fergal Fox, General Manager, HSE Ireland, Health Promotion and Improvement Dublin Mid-Leinster, who hailed the initiative as a major step forward for men’s health in Ireland: “The HSE has worked with Men’s Sheds for a number of years. Supporting men’s health and wellbeing is a part of our work under both our plan to implement ‘Healthy Ireland’ and within the ‘Connecting for Life’ Suicide Strategy. HSE Health Promotion &amp; Improvement are working on many initiatives targeting men’s health and this partnership with the IMSA supports real engagement of men at community level.”

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association was represented by CEO Barry Sheridan, Chairman George Kelly and Health & Wellbeing Coordinator Edel Byrne, who has overall responsibility for the Sheds for Life initiative. Addressing a crowd of shedders from throughout Offaly, Edel noted that ““We know from academic studies, as well as our own shedders’ experiences, that men’s sheds naturally promote better mental and physical health. The support of the HSE and our other partners will allow us to take things to the next level. Through Sheds for Life, we can offer our sheds tailored programmes and resources that match their needs. The initiative will be developed in full partnership with the sheds themselves. There are men’s sheds all over the world, but this level of government support makes Ireland a world leader in delivering better health outcomes for men through the medium of sheds”.

Sheds for Life will deliver health and wellbeing supports, resources and programmes to almost 350 men’s sheds throughout Ireland, reaching at least 10,000 men. For more information on Sheds for Life, contact Edel Byrne on 087 621 5505, email edel@menssheds.ie or visit: http://menssheds.ie/shedsforlife/

Men don’t talk face to face; they talk shoulder to shoulderBarry Golding

The Irish Men’s Sheds Association was set up in January 2011 with the purpose of supporting the development and sustainability of Men’s Sheds on the Island of Ireland. We are a charity focused on supporting a grass-roots network of sheds, workshops and meeting places for men of all ages across the whole of Ireland.

The Irish Men’s Shed Association (IMSA) is a member-based organisation formed to share information freely between Sheds and support communities and organisations wishing to establish a Shed. The IMSA as a national organisation represents the collective issues of Men’s Sheds in Ireland.

The Irish Men’s Shed Association will work towards a future where all men have the opportunity to improve and maintain their health and well-being by participating in a community Men’s Shed. To learn more about us and what we do, explore the site through the links above.

What is a Men’s Shed?

A Men’s Shed is a place where all men, regardless of age, background, or ability:

• Are respected, valued and belong, and can comfortably use and pass on their practical skills and knowledge.
• Learn through doing stuff together – each man is a teacher and a learner, each having different levels of skills, professional and practical, to share collectively.
• Can come together and help out in their communities.
• Can just come and have a chat and a cuppa if that is all they’re looking for.
• Can talk about things that are important to them, and can improve their own wellbeing by keeping physically, mentally and socially active.